As Stag and Doe are One, So Are James and Lily
by RaeOfSunshine9
Summary: A James and Lily story! Begins near the end of their seventh year. Focused on their romance, but tells about their separate personal lives. Also has information about the world around them, such as Voldemort's growing powers. Feel welcome to read and review! Those will make me write faster! ;)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first fanfiction. You are welcome to read and review! **

**Anyway, here's the prologue, which takes place at the end of James' and Lily's sixth year. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (unfortunately) but actually it is better for the rest of the human race or it wouldn't be nearly as good as it is today.**

**Disclaimer: sadly, the last time I looked in the mirror, I wasn't J.K. Rowling, so I don't own HP. **

**Disclaimer: I'm not making an money off this fanfic, so I'm not J.K. Rowling. I should be though because it is so great. Just kidding. ;)**

**Yes, three disclaimers. Sorry. I just want to be safe. :)**

Prologue

~JP~

As he got into bed, he thought. And thought. Then he came to a conclusion.

No more.

James Potter had had enough. He couldn't stand it any longer. He would not date anymore. Even if he saw her with guy besides himself. He loved her, and he was going to show her that. James wouldn't hex Snivellus. No more of what she hated. Pranks were an exception, of course, he couldn't let his mates down. But he would narrow the number down, definitely. He had been turned down one too many times by the one he loved and he knew his heart could not stand one more knife plunged inside to stay forever from her words. The hurt never went away.

No more. No more of what Lily Evans hated.

It hurt too much.

And with that, James Potter decided to bring out the good in himself. He would help others. He would study. He wouldn't ask Evans out anymore. He would change, but not completely. James Potter would still be James Potter.

And with that in mind, James Potter rolled over onto his side, and went to sleep.

~LE~

She sighed as she watched the common room fire flicker, its red and orange flames almost gone.

Why did he have to bother her? James Potter!

The nuisance! Potter just thought she, Lily Evans was a joke. He asked her out constantly just to annoy her. He ruffled his messy jet black hair to annoy her. He pretended he was king of the school.

And she hated him for it.

And she knew, she knew that James Potter wouldn't ever change. Not ever. Not tomorrow, when they were leaving Hogwarts to go home for the summer. Not over the summer. Not in their seventh year. Not after their seventh year.

And his recklessness would get him killed, by a Death Eater or Voldemort himself.

Because she knew that he was never careful. He was careless. And he would go out and fight the Dark Side, thinking it was a game. But she, Lily Evans, would go out and fight with smart determination and she would be careful and know that it is real life, and that she could die. James Potter thought he was unbeatable. Lily Evans knew she could die. And she was ready for that.

And she knew another thing. James didn't like her, or have a crush on her. The End.

Not at all up to your usual standard, Miss Evans. The only thing you are right about Mr. Potter is that he doesn't like you. He loves you.

Lily Evans didn't know that. Her wrong predictions were not written down on a piece of paper so she could study for the test.

She didn't take Divination, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Summer Plans and Secrets

**A/N- I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so SO sorry for not updating! I know this is a shorter chapter, but hopefully much sooner than last time I'll have the next one up! This one features the sixth years' last day before they go home for the summer! Please read and review! Thank you so much to HogwartsRocks for reviewing! My favorite ever! ;)**

Disclaimer: JK Rowling is the most amazingly awesome writer in the whole universe! All rights, salutes, and hugs to her!

It was the evening before they would return home.

And still, Lily Evans was not packed.

She was dreading the return home, as her friends very well knew. All her roommates were trying to get her mind off the dreaded train ride, but she was not fooled.

"You can come and stay with me after I return from Egypt," Marlene promised, lounging on her bed, reading a magazine.

"I wish we could stay here," Lily said sadly. "I'd rather have exams than see Petunia!"

"Would you rather have to see James Potter for nine and a half months straight or Petunia for two and a half months?" Alice asked teasingly, putting on a headband. Lily wrinkled her nose.

"Petunia," she answered immediately. Dorcas, sitting on her trunk, laughed.

"Well, I'm home all summer with my three younger brothers, but my parents said there's a beach house not far from where we live. Maybe you all could come at the end of August and sleep over there. We could go to Diagon Alley together, too."

"For the last time," Mary said sadly, taking off her robes. "But it would be nice to get away from my bratty younger twin sisters."

"Better than Petunia,"" Lily muttered.

"Can you believe we're almost seventh years?" asked Marlene sadly.

"I saw on the notice board at the beginning of this year for all seventh years to report to the Great Hall the class before lunch break for some sort of announcement when the traditional activities will take place," Alice said.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Dorcas and Marlene shrieked. "We could have listened at the door!"

"I saw it, too," Lily said. "We tried to tell you but you were so excited that Hufflepuff Clinton asked you out," she told Dorcas. "And Marlene was so excited for you she was off running to tell Mary. Besides, the Marauders would have been there probably, and I think it would be nice to be surprised. "

"Don't know why Marlene was so excited for me," Dorcas grumbled. "Clinton is such a loser..."

"I was excited for myself, too, you know," said Marlene.

"Yeah, lucky you, you're still dating your guy," Dorcas said. "I suppose I just have bad luck."

"Must have something to do with the fact that you have three brothers," said Alice absentmindedly, reaching under the bed.

"Alice, is this your diary?" asked Mary, holding up a blue and yellow journal.

Alice snapped her head up. "Hey, give me that! That's what I was looking for!" she shouted.

"No, I think I'll keep it," said Mary, smirking.

"NO!" Alice screamed, lunging at Mary. "I have important -secret- stuff in there!"

Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas all stood up, blocking Alice from Mary

Everyone but Alice chanted, "Friends forever, hide no secrets, fight together, for good purpose!" That was one of their mottos, and it had all been agreed on.

They all grinned, but Alice sulked.

"I'm tired, and I want to go to bed!" she said huffily.

"Not until you tell us!" sang Mary, dancing away with the diary in hand.

"Marlene, back me up or your secret is out!" demanded Alice. Marlene, who had been tossing around the diary with Mary, stopped immediately.

"NO!" Marlene let out a shout just like Alice had a few minutes previous; she dropped the diary and lunged toward Alice to cover her mouth. Alice, however, saw her coming and quickly dodged out of the way. Alice dove for the diary on the ground, successfully grabbing it and running out of the dormitory, four girls running in tow.

James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Frank were all coming back to the common room after a late night's exploration of the kitchens, with the Marauder's Map in front of James and Sirius, who were under the Invisibility Cloak, and Remus and Peter, who were using Disillusionment Charms with the assistance of Frank. However, they stopped short when they heard shouts and screams coming from the common room. Who in the world would be up at half past twelve the day before vacation? Well, besides them, of course. They all glanced at each other, and then James said the password, "Pumpkin pasties." The portrait hole opened, and they could see five girls running around chasing one another, all in their PJ's. What was going on? The five girls were so busy running and yelling they didn't even notice the door open. Sirius cleared his throat, but it was too loud to hear it. James turned around and said to everyone, "Maybe we should all shout 'hey!' at once so we can attract their attention?"

"Yes," Frank agreed, "On the count of three. Ready- one, two, three!"

"HEY!" they all yelled together, and the girls all stopped, Mary successfully grabbing Alice's hair, and Marlene becoming sandwiched in between Lily and Dorcas. They all looked over toward the door, and when they saw who it was their mouths dropped open.

"What are you doing here?" Marlene asked, bold as ever.

"Well, it's our common room too, isn't it?" Sirius asked charmingly.

"So what were you fighting about, gals?" James asked curiously.

"Umm..." Dorcas cleared her throat.

"Stuff," finished Mary.

"Stuff, eh?" Remus asked.

"Maybe the STUFF is possibly the diary

in your hands, Alice?" Frank asked.

Alice turned red.

"Um...no?" she stammered, then turned on her heel and rushed up the stairs.

"Looks like she fancies you, too," Peter muttered, softly as possible, but accidentally loud enough for the remaining girls to hear. Their mouths dropped open, all of them just had coming to an understanding. And Frank's red face completely gave him away. Frank and Alice!?

They all whipped around and ran up the stairs like a stampede, and Frank ran after them, but the stairs turned into a slide, and he slid down back at the other boys' feet.

"Nice to see you again, too," Sirius said, grinning.

"You like Frank?!" the four girls squealed, jumping up and down.

"He does too, you know," Dorcas said confidently.

"He does?" Alice asked worriedly.

"Of course," said Lily.

"Yes, his face turned red and he looked at the floor," said Mary.

"He does, I promise, and I think he was rushing up the stairs to stop us, so he's just embarrassed and probably afraid you don't like him," said Marlene.

"He knows, though," Alice said, her eyes widening.

"Yes, we know!" the girls all said together excitedly. "That's exactly what we've been trying to tell you!"

"And you're not going to get anywhere if he doesn't know," Dorcas added, smiling gently.

"What do I do now?" Alice asked frantically, getting up from her bed and beginning to pace.

"You go down and tell it to his face, he asks you out and you date!" said Mary, clapping her hands and jumping up and down excitedly.

"No!"

"Do it, do it!" everyone chanted but Alice, who was looking dejected.

"_No!"_

"_Do it, do it!"_

"**NO!"**

"**DO IT, DO IT!"** they screamed, not caring they could wake up the whole house. Alice was never stubborn. She huffed and plopped down on her bed.

"If you care so much why don't you do it for me?" she snapped.

"Don't you care?" Lily asked, worried, everyone becoming serious.

"Yes," Alice whispered.

"Then let's go," Marlene said, standing up.

"Come with me," Alice begged.

"I said _let's_," Marlene said, rolling her eyes. The five girls stood up and began to walk toward the door in the dormitory that lead to the common room.

"Wait!" Alice shrieked. "Whado I say!?"

"That's up for you to decide," Mary said quietly. "What have you imagined this moment to be like?"

"Never better said," said Dorcas seriously for once.

"Alright," Alice said. "I'm ready."

The four Marauders with the addition of Frank were sitting down in front of the fire. It was one thirty in the morning.

"D'ya think she'll come?" asked Frank.

"Well, duh, she likes you, doesn't she? Of course she'll come!" said Peter, grinning.

"Hopefully she'll come soon," Remus said, looking weary. Full moon was next week.

Just then the door opened. Dorcas and Marlene walked in the front of the group, and Mary and Lily walked on the sides of Alice. She could not be seen through the protection her friends had made.

"One, two, three," Lily whispered.

"Frank, Alice has something to tell you," four voices said. The four moved aside, revealing Alice.

"I don't know how to say this," Alice said softly, looking into Frank's eyes. "All I'm going to say is-" and beneath her cloak she drew out her diary. She flipped it open and handed it to Frank.

She recited,

"I've liked you for a while

And I'm falling for you

Magic is in much style

Yet you are very too

Be a good loving man

And take me on a date

Or you, Frank, I will ban

From my diary gate." Her face was bright red, and she looked down. Alice heard the diary being put down, and her heart pounded. She braced herself, ready to be rejected.

But it didn't come. Instead she felt arms slide around her, and hands lift her face up.

"I'd like to keep your diary," Frank said, "and I want to go on that date."

"I think they're gonna kiss," Sirius said disgustedly.

"Like you don't do enough of that," Dorcas said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. The Gryffindors had left the couple in the common room in peace after Alice had handed the diary to Frank.

"That's right, my dear," Sirius said cheekily. "but when I do it it isn't gross."

"Right," The girls said under their breath.

"That's enough excitement for one night," Mary said, sighing. "Let's go to bed."

"I'm going to bed," Remus said.

"Me too," agreed Peter. They walked back through the portrait hole.

Lily, who wasn't tired at all, smirked. "Oh, I don't know, Mary. I don't think you should go to bed yet. I think Marlene has something to tell us." Marlene jumped and stared at Lily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marlene said.

To bad that she was a terrible liar.

Dorcas smirked, and sprang into action, grabbing Marlene's arm. "Tell us your secret," she sang.

Marlene struggled to pull Dorcas's hands off her shoulders. Eventually they ended up on the ground, wrestling.

"I didn't know girls wrestle," Sirius said, amused.

Marlene finally got free and bolted down the stairs. Dorcas flew after her. Marlene descended back up the other steps quickly, on the way back. At the top, Lily was hiding. She grabbed her, and with a little help of Mary, she was down, defeated.

Lily grinned. "Redheads always win."

"I love that girl," James said, and thankfully, only Sirius heard him.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Here is a description of all the girls. Next chapter will be the train ride and Marlene's secret! Thanks for reading!**

**Marlene- long, dirty blonde hair, brownish/hazel eyes, drama queen, over dramatic, doesn't think before she acts, bold, calm in arguments, comforting, doesn't care what other people think, talkative, wild ideas, loyal, caring, smart, terrible liar**

**Alice- shoulder length dark brown hair, greenish gray eyes, sweet, submitting, bright, has good ideas, creative, artistic, thinks before she acts, calm, no temper, loyal, dreamy, poetic, studies, fights back, kind, cares about what others think**

**Lily- long, long red hair, bright green eyes, sweet and quiet at first, then gets angry easily, likes studying, role model, not an open book, hides her feelings well mostly, denies secrets, helpful, kind, doesn't approve of rule breaking, loyal, determined, stubborn**

**Dorcas- longish white blonde hair, deep blue eyes, has a temper like Lily, class clown, doesn't care what other people think, likes to prove boys wrong, not calm, likes to argue, talkative, funny, doesn't like studying, adventurous, dates rarely, loyal**

**Mary- below shoulders length light brown hair, blue gray eyes, understanding, quiet, shy, smart, calm, helpful, gives good advice, open book, loyal, motherly, kind, cautious around others especially boys, dreamy, quick thinking, astonishingly stubborn**

**Marlene is the spirit of the group, Alice the heart, Lily the soul, Mary the mind, Dorcas binds them all together and keeps them forever brave, loyal, smart, and strong as rock.**


	3. Chapter 3

Summer Beginnings

**A/N- Late again. Blame it on the busy holidays. Shorter chapter. Longer next time. Features train ride back home and Marlene's secret comes out! Enjoy! I'll be in love with my reviewers! ;) And I'm determined the next update will be before New Year's Day! **

**Disclaimer: If you want to read JKR-quality writing, don't read this book. Of course, I'm the next JKR… in a hundred thousand million years. ;)**

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Marlene yelled into her ear, smacking a pillow in her face. "We're all up 'cept for you!"

"Shut up and let me sleep," Lily mumbled.

"Breakfast starts in 10 minutes," Dorcas said, joining Marlene on the side of Lily's bed.

"WHAT!" Lily screeched. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!"

"Don't blame it on us," Dorcas said, using her famous eye-roll.

"Do you think we didn't try?" asked Marlene, grinning. "You were dead to the world."

"I'll help you," Alice said, appearing in sight. "Go take a shower."

"I'll lay out your clothes," Mary added, hiding a smile. Lily had failed to notice they all had on matching outfits, and that Mary was holding a T- shirt and pair of jeans. Lily just stood up, bumping her head on the bed frame ("ouch!"), and walked to the bathroom. It surprised her when she realized it was the last time she would do that, until two and a half months later. She liked sharing the dorm with Marlene, Mary, Alice, and Dorcas. It was like having sleepovers every day.

Lily showered quickly, using her identical-smelling shampoo and soap that was scented with somewhat minty eucalyptus blossom. Her long hair was tangly and sopping wet when she stepped out of the steamy shower, and she wrapped up in the white, fluffy robe to go get dressed. When she returned to the dorm, there was no one there. Her clothes had been laid out, though, as Mary had said. There was a dark denim pair of jeans and a scarlet shirt that had a golden Gryffindor lion on it, and fancy lettering saying, "Gryffindor pride" at the bottom. There were gold stripes on the sleeves, and on the back it said, "Evans". Lily rolled her eyes, smiling at her friends' weird ideas and picked up a piece of parchment left on the bed. In Marlene's handwriting, it said- _Matching shirts! Last day of sixth year, and we gotta show everyone we're all besties. We're all in the common room. Alice wanted to see her boyfriend. ;)._

_-Marlene_

Lily smiled again, pulled her robe off and got dressed. After she was fully dressed and her hair and light makeup was done, she reached for her wand on the bed side table to put into the magically extended pocket near her right hip. She found however, that she couldn't put the wand inside. Lily frowned. When she had worn these jeans in the past, her wand easily fit into the pocket. A crunch startled her, her wand hitting what sounded like a piece of parchment. Lily pulled the piece of parchment out of her pocket with some difficulty, and read Dorcas's handwriting.

_Plan for the train ride: get Marlene's secret out! You let her off easy last night, Mary and I both thought. But we were all tired, all that running around. What I think is odd is that Marlene usually doesn't keep secrets. And Alice knows! I tried asking her, but she said she promised. And you know Alice- she doesn't break promises. We're getting it outta Lenie, sistah!_

That's right! Marlene's secret! It was going to become public soon! Well, public to their group…

Lily's stomach growled, and she headed down to breakfast with all the girls for the last time before the summer.

As the all the sixth-year Gryffindors finished up there breakfast, Lily was thinking about James and her row. It had started with him asking her, for the umpteenth time, to go out with her. And he had ruffled his annoyingly forever messy black hair. She was tired of James Potter being a continuously big-headed, annoying prat that had an over large ego! Lily stabbed her bacon, glaring at it as if it had caused her anger.

"Alright, Evans?" a voice asked.

"Shut up Black," Lily snapped immediately.

"Oooh, watch out for this one, Prongs," said Sirius, nodding toward Lily.

"Padfoot-" James began, but he was interrupted by the noisy clattering of the occupants in the Great Hall. It was time to go to the carriages. Lily swung herself off the bench and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Frank, if you don't mind, just us girls will be sitting together," Alice said.

"Of course," he agreed. "I don't mind."

"Yes, we have some business to attend to," Dorcas said, snatching Marlene's arm, and Mary the other.

"Alice- help me!" Marlene shrieked.

"Sorry, Lenie, you should tell them…" Alice said. Marlene sighed, and allowed herself to be led away. Alice grinned at the look of the boys' faces, and said,

"Girl talk. About the male species. For Marlene, but Lily too, although she doesn't know it yet. We're still trying to get Lily to loosen up around you, James. Looks like you might have a chance this next year… us girls will be hanging around you lot a whole lot more this year." With that small speech, Alice pecked Frank on the lips, disappearing into the crowd.

The five girls sat in their own private compartment, four of the five wondering how Marlene's interrogation should start.

"I have to use the restroom," Marlene announced, standing up.

"Oh, no you don't," Lily said. Dorcas, who was sitting by Marlene, yanked her arm so she was sitting back down again. Marlene sighed in complete defeat.

"Alright," she said. "What do you want to know?"

"We just want to know what your secret is," Mary said quietly.

"Well, for starters, you should know I broke up with Trevor. I found him and a girl named Brooklyn kissing up at the astronomy tower. Her shirt was off. But once the beginning shock ended, I realized I didn't care as much as I would have if… if… well, if I didn't fancy someone else."

"Who?!" they all asked. Even Alice didn't know.

"I'm getting to that," Marlene replied hastily. "It was late, of course, when I found him, so I decided I would face him in the morning. It was a Saturday. I told you all that I wasn't feeling well, remember? Alice actually hadn't been feeling the best either, and when I thought she was asleep, I got outta there. She followed me to the broom closet on the fifth floor, where I had heard him tell Brooklyn where to meet him for another snogging session. I interrupted and was just like, 'Girl, be warned of this guy. He cheats and lies. Best go find a guy who actually likes you.' Then I just said to _him_, 'We're over. I saw you last night and I'm glad we never got to that stage.' I stood up, and slammed the door behind me. Brooklyn followed me out and was really nice. She's like, 'I thought he was only dating me, too. I told him we're done, too, and let's see if he's dumb enough to get out of the door. Colloportus!' She locked the door, and said, 'I'm a sixth year Hufflepuff. The name's Brooklyn.' We shook hands and I told her who I was, and we said we should hang out sometime. She left, and that's when I saw Alice. I explained and she said she wouldn't tell anyone."

"Are you okay?" asked Mary. "Not like I'm giving you pity or anything, I just know how a break-up feels."

"When did you ever date someone we didn't know about?" asked Dorcas.

And Marlene said, "Thanks, Mary, but I'm okay," and she grinned, realizing this was the chance for her new crush to be forgotten.

However, her bubble was burst when Lily told her that she hadn't been forgotten. Mary explained that her boyfriend tried to take advantage of her one night, and told him that if he was like that he would be dumped that very second.

"And he was dumped," she said, laughing.

"Good for you," Lily said, laughing with her.

"Now, Marlene, spill!" Alice ordered. "I don't even know this juicy detail!"

"Fine!" Marlene said.

"It's Sirius bleeding Black!"

"So you're going to try not to ask her out or pest her off?" Sirius asked, incredulous.

"Yeah...yeah that sounds about right." James said uncomfortably. They rarely had these "talks", because they all agreed that it wasn't manly.

"I think you'll have a better chance that way," Remus agreed, looking up from his book.

"I think so too, " said Peter.

"Yeah," said Frank.

"Can I ask you something, Sirius? While we're on the rare subject of girls?" asked Remus. Without waiting for him to answer, he said, "You haven't been dating or anything for a while. What's up with that? Usually you're trying to snatch up every girl in Hogwarts."

Sirius did not like talking about who he liked. "Well, I've just been busy and all, ya know what with exams and all."

"Yet you never picked up a book," said James.

"Well…"

"Well?" asked Peter. "Do you fancy Marlene or something?"

Sirius dropped his Exploding Snap cards, his mouth going dry.

"How- how did you- how did you know?" he asked, not looking at any of them.

"It's been kind of obvious, man," said Frank. "What with you looking at her and everything…"

"Don't tell her," he begged, sounding like a little child.

"We won't," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay," said Dorcas. "I honestly don't like anybody, so moving on. We know Alice is smitten with Frank, and Marlene falls for Sirius so suddenly, then Mary telling us about a boyfriend we never knew about… hiding anything, Lils?"

"No," she answered. "And don't you dare try to convince me how Potter is so sweet and loves me so much, 'cause I know that's not true. He asked me out the day before yesterday, rumpling his hair like an idiotic git."

Dorcas rolled her eyes, used to outbursts about James like this.

"It's James, Lily. Not Potter. Let's go visit the guys."

Lily groaned. "You go ahead. _I'm _staying _here_."

"Nope," said Mary, grinning. "You're coming with us."

Mary, Alice, Dorcas, and Marlene all pulled Lily out of her seat and forced her to walk. They looked through the windows of the compartments, looking for five particular boys, except for Lily, who was glaring at everything she saw. When Alice finally yelled, "In there!", Lily was dragged in. Dorcas was whispering something, but she couldn't hear, and she only found out when Marlene shrieked, "No you DON'T!", and leaped onto Dorcas covering her mouth.

"Silencio!" Mary shouted, pointing her wand at them both. Alice turned to Lily and said, "Dorcas was gonna tell…"

"Tell what?" asked Sirius. Marlene got up from the floor and came over to Lily, pointing wordlessly at her mouth. Lily muttered the counter curse.

"Well, she was gonna tell you a secret I have," said Marlene. Her motto was "say what you wanna say, and the future will bring what it brings". This, however, didn't have to do with words. Marlene kissed him, right there, and he kissed back. And the other current inhabitants got out of the room and went back to the girls' compartment, unsilencing Dorcas as they went.


	4. Chapter 4

Summer Before Seventh

**A/N- I had a broken computer! Only three days late! Sorry. :( Forgive me? I have a long chapter to make it up! Hope you like it! Happy Late New Year! Happy 2015!**

**Disclaimer: Wish JKR a Happy Late New Year!**

~July 17th~

Dorcas Meadowes was sitting at her desk, writing letters. She had approximately 27 letters to send. 26 were the same, except for the addresses, so Dorcas just used a copying charm on the invitation. Dorcas was inviting all the to-be seventh years (except for Slytherins). There was the Patron twins, so she only sent one letter to their household. And she knew Sirius lived with James, so she only wrote one letter for them. The twenty-six letters went like this:

_Dear Friend, _

_You are invited to a beach party I am hosting on Shell Beach, England at 7 PM-11PM on the 20th of August. It is a potluck party for the majority of the seventh years. Please bring a food item or beverage. If a beverage, please bring a non-alcoholic one. You can also bring swim suits if you wish._

_Sincerely, _

_Dorcas Meadowes, Gryffindor_

The twenty-seventh letter was Lily's, because Dorcas was afraid that if she thought it was a possibility that James Potter would be there, she would make any excuse to avoid going. All the Gryffindor girls had no real grudge against the Marauders. In fact, they thought James and Lily would make a great couple. After copying the letter multiple times, she wrote to Lily asking her to stay. Dorcas sent Checkers off with then many letters, she Flooed the rest of the Gryffindor girls to ask them to stay the same nights as Lily and to not tell her about the beach party until Lily actually got to the beach house. Hopefully, by the end of Seventh Year, James and Lily would be together.

VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

~July 17th~

Lily Evans was not enjoying her summer. Last summer, Petunia was simply rude, treating Lily like trash, but this summer she would act sickeningly sweet in front of their parents, then she would just ignore Lily when they were alone. Lily preferred being ignored rather than being called a freak every time Petunia caught sight of her, but she absolutely hated the fake sweetness radiating from Petunia. And of course, being ignored was rather annoying, too. The only highlights were the letters from her friends, even one from Remus, to all she replied to immediately. Lily was also extremely ecstatic when Dorcas's owl Checkers arrived with the invitation of spending August 20th through the end of the summer with her and Marlene, Mary, and Alice at a beach house.

_Dearest Lily,_

_Hi! How are you? Annoyed? I imagine so. Well, here is the key to your escape! Could you meet me in Diagon Alley near Ollivander's on August 20th at 3 P.M.? My parents said since I am of age this summer I can invite my friends over to spend the last remains of the summer together. We rented a beach house, and since my family and I spent part of July until now in it, and my brothers are bored, I can stay and have you, Marlene, Mary, and Alice over! My dad has work to do at the Auror office and my mom wants to start another book, so they went home with my brothers! So, it will just be the five of us. My parents said since we've all passed our Apparition tests we can all arrive at King's Cross, together, too. Hope you can come! Miss ya!_

_Love, _

_Dorcas_

_P.S. If you or your parents are worried about the war, tell them my dad has placed special top-secret Ministry-approved enchantments around the property and even a portion of the beach. The muggles on the beach will still be able to use that portion, but they won't see us and we won't see them. Our portion with the beach house is Shell Beach._

_P.S.S. Use the transferring spell to move your luggage to "Meadowes's Shell Beach House"._

Lily had sent her joyful reply back immediately after asking her parents, and then she started packing. She had finished all her homework the first week of the summer, so she carefully placed that into her school bag, which went into the trunk. When she was under her desk retrieving her color-changing ink, she heard the screech of an owl, and the tapping on her window. Lily had closed her window before, because after all, it was already nine-thirty. Now Lily stood up, banging her head slightly on the desk, to open the window and receive the letter. She stood near the open window, letting the cool breeze relax her. Lily opened the letter, and something fell out of the envelope and out of the open window. Lily groaned. What had fallen? She looked on the parchment and she realized it was her Hogwarts letter. There must have been a second page that had fallen out.

Lily opened the door to her room and stepped out onto the landing. There were no lights downstairs, so she figured her parents must have already gone to bed. Petunia had left at noon that day for a trip to Spain with Vernon until August 31st. Lily crept down the stairs quietly, hoping not to wake her parents. She opened up the front door, and walked around the house to her bedroom window. Lily assumed it must have fallen into the bushes, and she searched until her hand came across something small. She grabbed it and ran inside the house, locking the door behind her. When she was upstairs in her bedroom again, she realized it was a badge- the Head Boy badge.

Lily's brow wrinkled in confusion; obviously there must have been a mistake! If she had been made Head Girl, she would get the Head Girl badge, not the Head Boy's! Maybe Dumbledore just accidently switched the Head badges. Lily sat down on her bed and read the letter, hoping it would explain itself.

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~July 17th~

James decided that he would finish his homework, because he didn't want to have to finish it on his last week of vacation. Sirius, who now lived with James, jokingly called him a "Goody-Two Shoes", which James rolled his eyes at, and then went to finish packing for their annual stay at the Leaky Cauldron before school started again. James was almost done with his Transfiguration essay when an owl swooped in his open window, landing on James's desk and spilled his ink bottle. Cursing, James vanished the ink that had spilled and took the letters from the brown tawny owl. The Hogwarts crest was on the envelopes, so he assumed it was his and Sirius's Hogwarts letter with the normal list of supplies. He tossed them aside, and finished his essay so he could get some sleep.

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~1 Month and 2 Days Later- the 19th of August~

Sirius was in James's room at the Leaky Cauldron finding owl treats for Mahatma, James's owl, when he came across two envelopes that were stamped with the Hogwarts crest. He picked them up, immediately noticing the weight difference- James's was slightly heavier. Sirius opened the sealed letter up, and pulled out the parchment, and read:

_Dear Mr. Potter, _

_I, Albus Dumbledore, am pleased to inform you that you have become Head Boy. This might be a shock to you, but I believe you will be a strong leader in these troubled times along with the Head Girl. One of my favorite sayings is this- "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." You, I believe, are one who knows how to turn on the light. I have seen you bring laughter to the school with your friends, I have seen the brotherly way you treat them, and I have seen you show love, even to those who might not see or believe it. I am, of course, talking about one person in particular- Lily Evans. She has been made Head Girl, as you might have predicted. You are a good man, James. I have faith in you, to lead the students of Hogwarts together. Show Lily that you are capable of leading, and of love. (I normally don't encourage or hint at the people who should date, but I believe you are a special case)._

_You might have noticed that I have given you the Head Girl badge. _

At this point, a shocked Sirius looked into the almost empty envelope, finding, like the letter said, the Head Girl badge. Confused, Sirius continued reading.

_This was not a mistake. It is Hogwarts tradition for the Heads to meet before school starts to plan, and if one doesn't know the other, to introduce themselves. Lily does not know who the Head Boy is, like the past Head Girls. It is your duty to send Lily a letter informing her of a place to meet before term starts. You will exchange your badgers then. I have felt in the past that it is a good way to form house unity, and although you are from the same house, this tradition continues. Good luck._

_Sincerly, _

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_P.S. I like Licorice Wands, and you and Lily like Chocolate Frogs. Your taste could change, though if you want._

_P.S.S. Please draw up patrol schedules for yourself and prefects. Patrol from six to twelve at night should be covered completely, and Aurors will help you. You and the Head Girl should patrol together._

The door opened and James walked in with two packages.

"What are you doing in here?" asked James.

"Um...finding owl treats. Why do you have packages? I thought we were going to do our shopping with the other boys tomorrow?"

"Well then... I guess I'll just return these new Whirlwind 8000's..."

"What?"

James smirked, and tossed the long, thin package to Sirius, who dropped the letter and badge in his haste to catch it. He tore it open and found the newest broom model. "You didn't-!" James smirked again, and Sirius enveloped him in a manly hug.

"Prongs... Thanks. You could taken me with you and I could have bought my own, though..."

"I didn't, Padfoot, Mum and Dad did. They said 'it is a treat for our seventh year, and that in turn we have to be careful and watch out for the younger students at school. I hate this war, you know. I wish it was just over, so everyone was safe! Let's just keep our wands on us at all times, and hopefully Remus is made Head Boy so we can help protect them.'"

Sirius hadn't really paid attention to it before, but now he saw what Dumbledore meant. James did really care for others.

"We will," he promised. "About the Head Boy thing..."

"What?"

"Remus isn't Head Boy. You are."

James stared at him for a moment and then said,

"Okay, joke's over."

"It's not a joke! Look," Sirius said, pointing to the letter on the floor.

James walked over to the letter, picked it up, and read it. His mouth dropped open.

"What!? I- Head Boy- Dumbledore- crazy- me? Head Boy? And he approves a relationship with Lily?!"

"Yup," said Sirius, grinning. "And you and she are the Heads, together, James!" He began to laugh, until James told him to shut up.

"Should I ask her to meet me here tomorrow around four o-clock?"

"Sure," Sirius said. I owled Marlene and told her that I was staying here, and she said she and Evans and all the other girls were coming here around three tomorrow anyway. Owl Evans and tell her everything."

"Okay, I will. Maybe we can have ice cream or something together, too," James said hopefully, always looking for a chance to spend time together with Lily. "Hey, are you and McKinnon together or something?"

"Yup," Sirius said, then hesitated. "I really like her, you know. She's not just the casual fling, I want to stay with her for a really long time. I don't want to ever get rid of her, to be honest."

"Then don't," James said simply.

James wrote a quick letter, but it took longer than it should have because he didn't know how to write a letter to Lily. The envelope just said, "to Lily", not who it was from, because James was afraid that if he wrote his name on the envelope, she wouldn't even bother to open it. In the end, it went like this:

_Evans,_

_I'm this year's Head Boy. I'm being perfectly honest, I swear. No matter how much you don't believe me or dislike me, please keep reading. I assume you've read your letter from Dumbledore, so you know we have to exchange badges. Would you mind meeting me on the 20th of August (tomorrow) around four o-clock at the Leaky Cauldron? Sorry this is so sudden, but when I got my letter I thought it would be just the normal supplies list and everything, so I didn't open it until later. I know that was very irresponsible of me, and I apologize. Forgive me? _

_You can send me a reply with Mahatma here if you wish. I'm sorry you've received this so late at night._

_Sincerely, _

_James Potter, Head Boy_

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Lily was asleep when she was rudely awakened by a tapping-on-glass noise around 11 PM. She opened her eyes, frowning, and got out of bed, opening the window for the second time that night. Lily took the letter from the unfamiliar owl, expecting it to fly off, but it landed on her desk. Her brow wrinkling in confusion, Lily tore open the letter and read it. Her mouth dropped open, and she wanted it to be a joke, but something told her it was not. She growled in frustration. She, Lily, was going to have to live with _JAMES POTTER_, of all people, for _NINE AND A HALF MONTHS_. However, she couldn't help but notice that he had apologized for the inconvenience he had caused her multiple times. Still angry, she grabbed a piece of parchment, and sent back an extremely short reply:

_Potter, _

_The place and time you suggested will be fine. _

_-Lily Evans_

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~August 20th~

James was rather disappointed when he received Lily's very short response the next morning. Once he had showered and dressed (trying three different shirts on with jeans), he met Sirius at the top of the stairs to go down for breakfast. When they saw Mr. Potter, who was reading The Daily Prophet and Mrs. Potter, who was drinking her morning cup of tea, Sirius nudged James and raised his eyebrows. James looked confused.

Sirius smirked, and sat down across the table from Mrs. Potter. He said casually, "James is Head Boy."

The effect was immediate- Carson Potter dropped his newspaper, mouth open, and Mera Potter knocked over her cup of tea.

"Is it true?" she asked James, not paying attention to the tea spilling onto the floor.

"Er... Yeah," he said, ruffling his hair nervously, then glaring at Padfoot.

"Oh, James, that's great!" she said ecstatically. "I'll have to get you a present!"

"Er...mum? You already got me a broom," James said, his ears and neck reddening. "I don't need anything else..."

"Well... If you see anything, dear, just let us know," Mera said.

"Right," James hedged.

"Lily Evans is Head Girl," Sirius said deviously.

"Ooooohhh, James, this year is your year to show your girl!" Mera said excitedly. James had told them all about Lily before, and how she seemed to hate him. "Your father and I were the Heads, and we had to meet up before school started. Do you have to do that?"

"Yes, mum, we still have to do that, and I'm meeting Lily today around four," he said. "_ALONE_. And she's not _MY_ girl!"

"Yet," Sirius and Mr. Potter both muttered under their breath.

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Lily apparated at two-thirty inside the Leaky Cauldron. She wore Muggle attire- a jean skirt that hit just above her knees, since it was warm out, and a sparkly emerald green tank top. She was coordinating with her friends by Marlene's orders. She wore green flip flops, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. After shopping in Diagon Alley, they were going straight to the beach, so Lily wore her green bikini under her clothes. Lily decided that she would get some pumpkin juice before she walked to Ollivander's, and as she was ordering her drink, Sirius caught sight of her. Remus had arrived five minutes ago, and Peter had just arrived. Frank should be arriving soon, so they could do all their shopping together. Then, they would go to Dorcas's party. Marlene had written to Sirius saying that Lily didn't know about the beach party, and he sent the message on to the other guys.

"Come over here," he hissed. "Don't let Evans see us."

"Lily's here?" James asked loudly.

"Yes, she's shopping with the girls, remember? Sirius whispered, grabbing James' arm and pulling him away from Lily's view. Just then, there was a loud CRACK and Frank apparated.

Lily turned to see what the noise was.

"Oh, hey, Frank," she said. "What are you doing here?" She grabbed her drink and walked over to him to talk to him easier.

"I'm going to get all our Seventh Year supplies with the other boys. James and Sirius are staying here...they should be somewhere."

"Potter is here?" Lily asked, wrinkling her nose. James groaned. Nothing had changed. She still hated him.

"Well, yes," Frank said cautiously.

"Right," she said. "Will you still be around for our Head meeting?"

"Whose?"

"Mine and Potter's. He's Head Boy you know."

"He is?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. Didn't expect that. I'll still be here, probably, since we're going to Dor- I mean dinner together."

"Okay, then. See you, Frank."

"See you, Lily."

"Why can't I call her by her first name? And she by my first name?" James complained.

"Well, they are friends," Remus said sensibly.

"Then, I'll become her friend."

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"Do we need new robes?" asked Mary. The five girls were standing outside Madam Malkin's.

"Isn't there some ball or something for seventh years?" Marlene asked.

"Like the prom in the Muggle world?" asked Lily. They all looked at her.

Mary, who was the only other Muggle born, answered,

"Yeah, probably similar."

"Well, should we get dress robes, then?"

Alice asked.

"Why not?" asked Dorcas. "Let's go."

"Alright," Marlene, the fashion queen craze began, once they were in the store. "We should all pick a dress out for eachother." I'll pick one for Lily, Lily will pick one for Alice, Alice will pick one for Mary, Mary will pick one for Dorcas, and Dorcas will pick one for me."

And the rest of the girls, knowing that it was useless arguing with Marlene when it came to clothes, sighed and began roaming around the shop.

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"Let's go to Flourish and Blott's to get our Seventh Year books now," James said, checking his watch. 3:15.

"Relax, James, we have plenty of time," Remus presumed, rolling his eyes.

"I want to get there early," James said.

"Hopefully she brings the other girls," Sirius said. "I want to see Marlene."

"Yeah, I want to see Alice," agreed Frank.

"Ugh, Remus, if they start getting all lovey-dovey on us, let's get another table," said Peter.

"Agreed," Remus nodded.

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Once each girl had a dress, Lily sighed.

"I have to tell you something."

The others looked at Lily in shock. She did not spill her secrets easily, she usually just kept them to herself. Lily was normally quiet around strangers, until she lost her temper.

"What is it?" asked Mary.

"Well, I'm Head Girl..."

"That's great!" they all said, hugging her.

"...And James Potter is Head Boy."

"**WHAT**!**?**"

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James sat nervously on a chair for a table of two, waiting for Lily. It was 3:57. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Frank all sat at a bigger table with extra seats not far away. The door of the Leaky Cauldron opened, and five girls walked in. James's hand immediately went to his hair.

Mary whispered, "Good luck," in Lily's ear, then followed Alice and Marlene to the table with the boys. Dorcas said to Lily,

"Lils, James really likes you. I know he does. Just see what he knows about Head duties, give him a chance. You can do it."

"I'll try," Lily muttered. She knew James Potter didn't like her, whatever her friends might say. "When I pretend like I need to use the loo, that's the sign that means I need help."

"Alright."

Lily walked over to James, and sat down.

"Hi, Evans," James greeted her.

"Hi."

"So... we already know each other, then."

"Obviously."

"Right. Well, maybe we could write up Prefect schedules?"

"That's fine," Lily muttered, surprised James seemed to be taking his head duties seriously. When the awkward silence continued, she looked down and said,

"I- er- I don't have any parchment." Lily told the table, her ears reddening. SHE was supposed to be the responsible perfect Head, and look at her now...

"I do, but it's in my room." James pulled out his wand. "Accio parchment and ink!"

A few seconds later, a scroll of parchment and ink bottle with a quill flew toward them and hovered near the table. James said,

"You can write, if you want."

Lily wordlessly took the parchment and quill from him and dipped the quill in the ink. She wrote "Patrol Schedules" at the top.

"We should switch every month," Lily said, more to herself than James.

"Alright," he said cheerfully. "Should we start with the Prefects from the same year and house patrolling together?"

"I guess," Lily said, bitter because she hadn't thought of that herself. She looked at the list.

"But since you weren't Prefect last year, and we're supposed to do patrol together-" she scowled at the thought- "Remus will have to be alone or there would have to be a group of three." Lily was glad she found a flaw.

"He can do it with one of the seventh year Ravenclaws," James suggested.

"Alright, just since you think you know best, it should be that way," Lily snapped.

"Sorry," James muttered. Since they were to Patrol each day from six to twelve, and there were four houses, with three groups each, the September schedule ended up like this:

WEEKDAYS-

Monday- 6 PM- 5th year Slytherins

7 PM- 5th year Hufflepuffs

8 PM- 6th year Ravenclaws

9 PM- 6th year Gryffindors

10 PM- 7th year Slytherins

11 PM- 6th year Slytherins

12 AM- Aurors

Tuesday- 6 PM- 5th year Ravenclaws 7 PM- 5th year Gryffindors

8 PM- 6th year Slytherins

9 PM- 6th year Hufflepuffs

10 PM- 7th year Hufflepuffs

11 PM- 6th year Gryffindors

12 AM- Aurors

Wednesday- 6 PM-5th year Slytherins

7 PM- 5th year Hufflepuffs

8 PM- 6th year Ravenclaws

9 PM- 6th year Gryffindors

10 PM- 7th year Ravenclaws

11 PM- 6th year Hufflepuffs

12 AM- Heads

Thursday- 6 PM- 5th year Ravenclaws 7 PM- 5th year Gryffindors

8 PM- 6th year Slytherins

9 PM- 6th year Hufflepuffs

10 PM- 7th year Gryffindor*

11 PM- 6th year Ravenclaws

12 AM- Aurors

Friday- 6 PM- 5th year Slytherins

7 PM- 5th year Hufflepuffs

8 PM- 6th year Ravenclaws

9 PM- 6th year Gryffindors

10 PM- Heads

11 PM- Heads

12 AM- Heads

WEEKEND-

Saturday- 6 PM- 5th year Ravenclaws 7 PM- 5th year Gryffindors

8 PM- 7th year Gryffindors

9 PM- 7th year Gryffindors

10 PM- 7th year Hufflepuffs

11 PM- 7th year Hufflepuffs

12 AM- Heads

Sunday- 6 PM- 6th year Slytherins

7 PM- 6th year Hufflepuffs

8 PM- 7th year Slytherins

9 PM- 7th year Slytherins

10 PM- 7th year Ravenclaws

11 PM- 7th year Ravenclaws

12 AM- Heads

*Seventh year Gryffindor, pair up with another Seventh year.

"So... Do you want me to keep it or do you want to?" James asked.

"I'll keep it," Lily said. She picked up the schedule and put it in her bag, and pushed the ink and quill toward him. She stood up and pushed in her chair, walking over to Mary.

"Let's go," she begged.

"Was it that bad?" Mary asked. The whole table had gotten quiet.

"Well, no," Lily admitted.

"See, James isn't what you think he is," Sirius said.

"Lily!"

Lily spun around. "It's _Evans_ to you, Potter!"

"No. I want to call you Lily."

"Well, you don't get to," she snapped.

"Lily-"

"**DON'T CALL ME LILY**!" The whole bar had gone quiet, and everyone was staring at the pair. James ignored her.

"Before you came," he said, directing all his words at Lily, speaking fast, "I was thinking. I want to be your friend. Since we're Heads, and some of our friends are dating each other, I know we're going to be seeing a whole lot of each other, whether you like it or not. I thought at least we could spend time together, even as a big group," he gestured around them, "without shouting or you hating me. I won't make you mad."

"Too late," Lily spat. "Just leave me **ALONE**, Potter!" And with that, she stormed out of the Leaky Cauldron, leaving a crestfallen James behind her.

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"Well, I tried!" James cried exasperatedly, kicking an empty chair. "She just doesn't get it!"

"Get what?" asked Mary quietly.

"That I love her!"

Silence fell across the table again.

"You do?" asked Alice.

"Yes. And she hates me," his voice broke, and he sat down.

"You know," Marlene spoke, "She doesn't believe that you even like her. She just thinks you ask her out to annoy her."

"That's why I'm not asking her out any more. That's why I want to become her friend, even though I want more. I want to show her that I'm not always an arrogant prat."

"That makes sense." Dorcas agreed.

"Yeah," Remus said. "You just have to keep trying."

"She'll see sense soon," Peter told James.

"She has to," Frank agreed.

"Should I try to talk to her at the beach?" asked James.

"Hey Dorcas?" Sirius called.

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if we stay after the party a bit?"

"Sure," Dorcas said.

"Okay, well I'm gonna say that we should all sit together every meal, we should study together, and we should have a fun night," Sirius said. "Then Lily will definitely have to see you a lot, James."

"Yeah," Marlene agreed. "It will be Gryffindor seventh year time."

"Good idea," Frank said.

"Okay, Lily's probably waiting for us girls," Dorcas said. "We'll see you at the beach."

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It was six forty-five, and the girls were done setting up tables and putting out refreshments. They all were sitting down on beach chairs, with music playing from a magical device. Lily, who was blindfolded, had been told that there was a "surprise" for her. She sighed.

"I was really rude to James, wasn't I?" she asked. Marlene, who was closest to the music, turned it off.

"What did you say?"

"I was really rude to James, wasn't I?" Lily repeated.

"You called him _James_!"

"What?! No I didn't!"

"Yes you did," contradicted Alice.

"No," Lily said stubbornly.

"Lily." Dorcas said. "You did. There's nothing wrong with calling him by his first name!"

"But-"

"Lily, you called him James. And yes, you were rather rude to him, but you can apologize tonight." Mary said firmly.

"What!? He's coming _tonight_!? _All _of the boys?!" Lily shrieked.

"Yes," Marlene explained. "All the seventh years are coming, except for the Slytherins. It's a beach party. We didn't tell you because we were afraid that if you knew James was coming, you wouldn't want to come." Lily was silent. She wasn't mad, she was just ashamed.

"Should I just walk up to him and say I'm sorry for being so rude and shouting at you?"

"Yes," Dorcas said. "But you should also say that you are willing to be friends with him."

"But-"

"Lily, really, what's so hard about being friends with him?" Mary asked.

"I don't know, it's just I don't know how to act around a person who keeps asking me out. I mean, I'm going to just keep telling him no!"

"I don't think he's going to ask you out anymore," Alice told Lily. "I think he really likes you Lily, I think he really does. I don't think he thinks you're a joke like you always say he does. I don't want to make you feel bad or anything, but he was really crushed when you just left. His voice was all broken and he wouldn't look at any of us."

"Okay, I'll apologize and give it a try," Lily finally agreed.

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James and the boys apparated to the place Dorcas had described with their hands full of drinks and food. Sirius had the Firewhiskey, bringing it against Dorcas' request of having no alcohol, but he told her in undertone that it was for after the party, so she allowed him to put it inside the house. Remus brought different types of popcorn, which Remus knew was one of Lily's favorite Muggle snacks. Peter brought corn on the cob, which was magically charmed to stay hot. Frank had lots of butterbeer, and James brought ice cream for after the party, and tons of it. They brought lots of food, because they wanted to make sure the party was extra special.

The five boys were the first ones there, and so it was easy to put the "second-party" food inside without questions. They had all worn their swimming trunks with just a shirt, as they were planning to swim.

The next people to arrive were Emmeline Vance and Derek Hill from Ravenclaw, who were dating. By the time everyone arrived, the last arrivers a group of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw girls, Astra Schaefer, Rhea Nowicki, Essie Moore, Hilda Messick, and the Patron twins, the party was in full swing. The majority of the girls were dancing or wading in the warm water. Most boys were eating or swimming, or dancing with their girls.

In Lily Evans's case, she was standing near the water with an unopened butterbeer in her hand. She had a continuous internal battle with herself-

_Go now!_

_**Wait until he's out of the water! **_

_Now!_

Lily eventually summed up her Gryffindor pride, and put her untouched butterbeer back on the table. She began to walk over to the edge of the water, flip-flops in hand, fully dressed. No way in all the world would she ever face James Potter in a bikini.

"Lily Evans!" Lily turned around, seeing a madly running Marlene coming toward her. _Uh-oh._

"What, Lenie?"

"Don't call me that. Now... Are you going in the _WATER_ with _CLOTHES_ on?" She demanded, looking like an angry veela. When Lily only gulped, she said,

"You know, I didn't buy you that bikini for a reason!"

"Well... See, Marlene, I'm going to talk to Ja- Potter."

"James."

"Right."

"Say it! If you're going to be friends with him, you gotta call him by his first name."

"James," Lily mumbled.

"Yes! Now take of your tank and your skirt and show people how beautiful you look in that bikini. James will melt."

"That's the point of wearing clothes," Lily said.

"Do it!"

"Alright, alright..." Lily muttered. She left her clothes and shoes on the beach, and left Marlene standing on the beach. The sun was setting, lighting up the sky with orange and red, the bright golden bulb slowly sinking beneath the horizon. The water was warm since it had the whole day for the sun to heat it up, but a cool breeze made Lily shiver as she waded through the water to James and the other four boys who were having a splashing fight. When she was about a yard away from them, she cleared her throat loudly. Sirius was the first one to notice her, who nudged Janes and nodded his head toward her. The splashing fight ceased immediately. Lily didn't know what to say.

"Er... um... Can I speak with James? I mean- I mean Potter!" Lily blushed furiously. James was shocked. _She called him James._

"She called you James!" Peter whispered loudly.

"Shhhh!" hissed Remus and Frank.

"Well, come on boys, the lady wants to speak with James," Sirius said, and he began pulling the others away. When it was only Lily and James, there was silence, except for the waves gently moving. Lily wasn't exactly tall, so she was belly-button-deep, while James, the giant, was knee-deep. For a few seconds there was just silence, with James staring at Lily, and Lily determinedly avoiding James's eyes, looking at the water.

"Look at me," came a soft request. Lily shook her head. Then she felt soft hands on her chin, gently forcing her to look up. Lily kept her head up, but she didn't look into his eyes.

"Why did you come over here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." She moved away from him. James let his hands fall, dropping at his sides.

"Why?"

"Because I was really very rude to you after the Head meeting. And during it, too. So I wanted to apologize for my mean actions and words. I'm- I'm sorry." She took a couple steps back. "And- and we could be friends. I'm willing to try. I won't shout at you or say anything you don't deserve. I'll spend time with you, as a big group, too. I'm sorry."

"I know you, said that."

"Yeah. So...friends?" Lily was talking quickly.

She still wouldn't look at him.

"Friends."

"Okay. See you." The Lily spun around and began to try to walk back to the shore, but it was hard to move quickly when you were over-the-waist-deep. It was quite easy, however, to move through the water when only knee-deep.

"L- I mean, Evans!" Lily stopped, but didn't turn.

"What?" James stopped in the back of Lily, and put his hands on her shoulders to spin her around to face him.

"Don't touch me," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I just want to ask you something- Can I call you Lily?"

"I guess," Lily said uncomfortably. The boy she hated for six years was calling her by her first name.

"Alright, _**Lily**_, you can call me James."

"Okay." Again, Lily turned around and moved back to shore. It was a beautiful sight, James thought, to see Lily in a green bikini with her red hair long, even in a ponytail, with the fading sunset streaks across the sky in the background. The only thing he was missing were her bright green eyes. Lily hadn't looked James in the eye once, even at the Head meeting, he realized. And he wanted to see her hair down. He had never seen her hair completely down before. James began to chase after Lily. She wasn't back on the sand yet, even when she was hurrying.

"Lily?" She glanced back, and slowed slightly.

"What?"

"Since we're friends, we should spend time together."

"I- well- I need to get back."

"Did you tell someone you would talk to them?"

"Well, no."

"Then come with me. I want to learn more about you, _Lily_."

"But I'm cold!" Lily protested.

"Then we'll get out of the water." Lily sighed, giving in reluctantly.

"Alright..." They moved toward the shore together in silence, side by side, although Lily made sure there was at least two feet between them. Once they got to the shore, James grabbed a white, fluffy towel from the folded pile and without warning, spun around and trapped Lily in it, arms by her side. He wrapped the towel tightly, tucking the end on her back.

"I can get my own towel, you know," Lily snapped.

"Yes, you could, but I'm just acting like your _friend_."

"No, you're not," she said angrily. "You're acting like we're dating!"

"Sorry," James told her quietly. Then he grabbed his own towel and began walking to a pair of beach chairs a little ways up the shore. When he realized Lily wasn't following him, he called over his shoulder,

"C'mon, Lils!"

"Don't call me that!" James sighed, waiting for Lily to catch up and sit down.

"Alright. Now what's your favorite food?"

"Popcorn and ice cream."

"Yum. What is your-"

"Hey wait! It's my turn!"

"Okay. Didn't know you wanted to learn about me, love."

"Stop." Lily ordered.

"Stop what?"

"_**THAT**_." Lily said exasperatedly.

"What's that?" James continued.

"The flirting! We're _FRIENDS_." Lily said firmly.

"Say please, James," he said. James wanted her to say his name.

"Why are you calling me your own name?" Lily asked.

"I'm not! I want you to say: please stop, James," he said.

"Please stop."

"Say my name."

"James," she mumbled.

"Okay. Your question, now."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Why?"

"It's my turn, Lils." he smirked.

"Don't call me that." James ignored her.

"What is your favorite book other than textbooks?" Lily scowled.

"I don't know, I like loads of books. Why is your favorite color green?"

"Because your eyes are green, and I think your eyes are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, and will ever see." James said. Lily ignored that. She still didn't believe he liked her.

"Why don't you ever wear your hair down?"

"Because it's ugly and it gets in the way."

"Let me see."

"No!"

"I've never seen it down," James whined. "Please?"

"Nope. I'm getting butterbeer," she said, standing. "Um... Do you want some?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"You," Lily said.

"And my name is..."

A sigh. "James."

"Yup!" And before she could stop him, he leapt up and gently pulled the rubber band out of her hair.

"Give it!" Lily spun around, knocking into his chest. Strong arms steadied her, holding onto her waist for much longer than necessary. She shied away from his touch.

"I'm... getting butterbeer," she gasped, and ran to the refreshment tables, her beautiful hair falling in waves on her back. James furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the rubber band in his hand.. No eye contact and she seemed to hate when he touched her? Why? James needed answers. It was ten-fifty. Some people were already gone. Soon, it would just be Gryffindors, which he was glad for.

VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

When 11 o-clock came, only the 10 Gryffindors remained and all the tables, chairs, music, and food had been magically put away. Everyone was inside in the living room, eating ice cream, and everyone wanted to ask if James and Lily figured things out and were friends. Marlene finally said,

"So, Lily..."

Lily snapped her head up.

"Yes?"

"Did you apologize?"

"Yes," Lily mumbled.

"So we're all one big, happy family," Sirius joked.

"Yeah," James said. "Come sit by me, Lils."

"Don't call me that."

"Lily..." She rolled her eyes.

"Isn't calling me Lily enough?"

"Yeah, but since we're _friends _we should have nicknames for each other."

"So I should call you Jamsie?" Lily joked.

"No. Just call me James."

"Then just call me Lily."

"I'll call you Lily if you call me James."

"I do!"

"No you don't! I have to keep reminding you!"

"Shut up."

"Come sit by me and I might shut up."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Is this the same reason why you don't like me touching you? Or why you never look at me?" Lily tensed. The room was dead silent.

"I don't do that," she told him quietly.

"Then look straight into my eyes."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I'm tired."

"That's not a reason to not look at me." Lily heard the couch cushions move as he got up and kneeled beside the large armchair she was sitting on.

"Look at me, Lily." Green eyes found hazel for a just a moment before flickering away again.

"Lily." it was Alice. "What's wrong?" Lily's face was fearful and white. Marlene, who could read her best, said,

"James! Get away. She needs space." He didn't move.

"JAMES POTTER!" Marlene yelled. James moved back, but kept his eyes on Lily.

"I'm just- I need to- I-" Lily was shaking. "Goodnight," she said, not looking at any of them, and fled to the bedroom. Once she was gone, James rounded on the girls

"Why is she acting like that?! It's like she's scared out of her wits!"

"I don't know," Mary said tearfully.

"She was normal this afternoon!" Alice cried.

"Should I go get her?" asked Dorcas to no one in particular.

"No," Marlene said. A memory was coming back to her. But it couldn't be...

~Flashback~

_"Only five days," Lily sighed. "And then we can go home..." It was dinner time and the four girls were walking to the Great Hall. Mary was in the hospital wing because Mulciber and Avery had jinxed her. "Then we can just leave this mess..."_

_"Are you sure you want to go home, Mudblood? There'll be no Dumbledore to protect you! Bad, scary boys could hurt you..." Mulciber sneered. Lily took a step forward._

_"Well, if you're talking about you, Mulciber, I'd have to disagree. You're not scary, but you are bad."_

_"You just wait, Mudblood. __**You have it coming!**__" And he spat at her feet_.

~End of Flashback~

Marlene gasped. _**You have it coming! **_All of them suspected many times that Mulciber, Avery, and some other Slytherins were Death Eaters. _What if they hurt Lily?_ Now everyone was watching her pace around the room.

"We need an GGEPT (Gryffindor Girls Emergency Private Talk) immediately," she ordered. Mary, Alice, and Dorcas stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked James at once.

"To have a GGEPT- girls' talk," Dorcas said.

"I'm not staying here!" James yelled.

"Yes, you are," Mary said firmly.

"You stay here," Alice ordered, looking pleadingly at Frank.

"I'm coming!"

"_**NO YOU'RE NOT**_!" Marlene exploded. She was normally calm in arguements, but this... "Sirius, don't you dare let him come!" Sirius pulled James by the arm and made him sit down. "Stay here, Prongs," he told him.

The four girls marched into the hallway and gently knocked on her door, and opened it. They sat on the bed beside Lily, who was huddled in a ball, Alice closing the door behind them.

Dorcas pointed her wand at the door, making it unable to hear anything. Then she too sat down.

"Lily?" Lily looked up, tears streaming down her face. She was short and skinny for her age, and now it was even more evident.

"I should have told you before," she whispered.

"Told us what?" Mary asked Lily. "You don't _have_ to tell us anything, Lily."

"I just didn't realize before… that you wouldn't leave me. That you'd always be there when I needed you. So I didn't trust you, because Petunia left me, and then Severus… And then this summer…" Her red-rimmed eyes darkened. "They came."

"Was it Mulciber?" Marlene asked, wrapping her arms around Lily.

"Yes. Him and Avery. It was July nineteenth… I had gone to the park alone- without my wand- to escape Petunia, and when I was coming back… it was like they just stepped out the shadows. They pulled me down an alleyway and used _Muffliato, _a spell I know Snape invented. It makes it so that all the ears around us are filled with some buzzing noise. They first made immobilized me so I couldn't move, then they punched me and kicked me. They brought out a knife and shoved it into my chest… and then they used the Cruciatus Curse on me. That was the last thing they did, though, because the Auror Department can track Unforgivables. My parents were notified and I was moved immediately to St. Mungo's. It was kept quiet, because since I'm of age, I'm allowed to choose if it goes out in public. All the paper said was that two Death Eaters attacked a Hogwarts student. We know for sure that they're Death Eaters now. I don't think they'll return to Hogwarts. They'd be expelled if they did."

"You mean they escaped?" Alice gasped.

"Yeah. They apparated a second after the Aurors turned up. My parents were freaked out, and I think Petunia was too, although she didn't show it."

"Oh, Lily… I know you don't want sympathy, so I'm not going to say 'oh poor you', but just know we'll always be here for you," Marlene said.

"Let us know if you need anything," Dorcas said, patting Lily. Mary was crying.

"Oh, Mary, don't cry! I'm all right now!"

"I know," she sobbed. "It's just… we could have lost you…"

"Well, I'm still here," Lily laughed weakly. "I just don't like people touching me. Especially when they just sneak up on me without knowing. And James… I'm just so confused right now. I don't get why he acts like he cares about me so much."

"I don't think he's acting," Alice said. "I think he really cares about you."

"But why?"

"You're a special person, Lily," Dorcas told her quietly. Lily changed the subject slightly, pondering over what Alice said. Maybe he did want to be her friend.

"I think I want to tell them. All of them. Because I don't want them walking on eggshells around me. I want everyone to be normal, I want to laugh and have a good time. I want to hang out in a big group, the kind where everyone watches out for each other and cares about each other."

"That's a good idea," said Marlene.

"Yeah, we should have a fun night or something," Alice broke in.

"That would be wonderful," Mary agreed. "Hey, Lily? You have a Heads' suite or something, don't you?"

"Yeah, we could party in there!"

"Lily, don't expect privacy or anything. We're gonna sleep in your room every night!" Dorcas warned. Lily laughed.

"Aww, I was looking forward to escaping," Lily pouted. "Let's go force the guys into our crazy ideas."

"Okay," they all agreed. They walked back to the living room, Lily looking a great deal happier. The boys looked up.

"Everyone okay?" James asked. He noticed Lily's red, puffy eyes, and it looked like Mary had been crying, too. Everyone else seemed to have watery eyes, also.

"Yup," Lily beamed.

All the girls took seats, until Lily was the only one left standing. There were three seats left: one by Marlene, one by Remus, and one by James. She hesitated, then sat by James. Lily looked at him, giving him a shy smile. James just looked surprised at her choice of seats.

"I'm going to tell you everything." Then Lily took a deep breath, and began.

**A/N: It's really long, but I didn't want to split it into two chapters. Hope you liked it! You **_**read**_ **it, good job. Now REVIEW! A "good job" or an "okay job"or a "bad job" is just fine!**

**xoxo,**

**Rae **


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